Grail or Grizl: Which gravel bike is best for you?

Race or roam?

The Canyon Grail is a bike for off-road speed, with a truly lightweight and aero setup that bridges the gap between tarmac and trail. High performance racing and riding, year-round.

The Canyon Grizl is a totally-off-road focussed gravel bike that is built to roam rougher terrain and longer distance adventures. It offers more stability, luggage capacity and wider tyre clearance.

Grail

Rapid where you want it. Rugged when you need it. The Canyon Grail sets the benchmark for gravel performance. And whether you’re looking to line up at Unbound or haul down doubletrack, the Grail is ready to move at speed.

Its inspiring handling and compliant chassis will have you pinning it over rough stuff, while the lightweight carbon frame lets you push the pace uphill and down. Factor in the integrated storage and you have a bike born for all-terrain speed and distance.

The Grail is now available across three platforms, including the all-new, top-line CFR range which has already proven itself with multiple high-profile wins, including Carolin Schiff’s commanding triumph at Unbound 200 and Kasia Niewiadoma’s UCI Gravel World Championships win in 2023.

When you’re riding gravel and rocky terrain, you want to be comfortable and wide tyres take the brunt of the lumps and bumps to give you a smoother ride.

The first major difference you’ll notice between the two bikes is tyre clearance.

The Grizl is more at home on harsh terrain than the Grail. Its standard 45 mm tyres really enable you to explore the wildest trails for an ultimate adventure, and the maximum clearance is up to 50 mm for an even plusher ride with extra weight.

The Grail’s 40 mm tyres make it the ideal choice if you’re mixing your gravel and road riding. If you want to fit fenders, that’s no problem either, while without fenders, you can fit up to 42 mm tyres.

The main difference between the Canyon Grail and Grizl cockpits are that the Grail has our Double Drop Bar, while the Grizl uses a more ‘traditional’ drop bar setup.

The Grail’s Double Drop Bar takes everything we learned from the Generation 1 Double Decker Bar and incorporates it into a lightweight, aerodynamic package with the clever and functional Gear Groove mounting point for all CFR and CF SLX models. The Double Drop Bar has wide flared drops, a subtle backsweep on the tops and a light flare at the shifters, offers an ideal mix of comfortable and aggressive riding positions.

The Grizl’s exact cockpit setup depends on the model you go for, whether alloy or carbon, Cable Integration Unit or not, but it is designed for comfort over long rides on rough terrain.

Gravel riding has become synonymous with long-distance bikepacking adventures, and both the Grail and the Grizl offer plentiful options to carry and mount your belongings on the frame.

Even though the Grail was designed with racing in mind, it offers plentiful storage options for longer rides too. Long training sessions, multi-day events – there's enough storage for it all.

From years of wind tunnel testing, we know that frame storage can make a bike more aero. So, for the Grail we developed the Aero LOAD system out of a mix of internal storage and custom frame bags for an a la carte setup where riders can choose how much kit to carry or how aero to make the frame.

The LOAD FidLock QuickLoader bag was made just for the Grail and can be instantly attached and removed using a special clip system. It blends seamlessly with the frame and even improves aerodynamics.

The unique design allows you to securely stash an inner tube, levers, and inflator in a special noise-dampening pouch, while your mini tool and pump lock into an integrated hatch within the downtube (CFR AND CF SLX only).

The Grizl has more opportunity to mount bags and racks on it than the Grail.

The front forks on the Grizl (non-suspension models) come with mounting hardware so you can pack even more equipment for your biggest adventures. Our fork-mounted Anything Cages are the easiest way to store bulky, lightweight items (clothes, sleeping bag) - or you can bolt on extra bottle cages if the weather's hot.

One final extra in relation to the Grizl – we collaborated with bikepacking bag pioneers Apidura for a special set of bags that are designed to fit, and look perfect, on the bike.

The Grail doesn’t offer any dropper compatibility or suspension, given its focus more towards speed, however the Grizl can do both.

The Grizl is compatible with a dropper post should you wish to delve even further into the world of off-road riding. They’re great for descending and many mountain bikers wouldn’t be without one. Dropper posts allow you to shift your weight even further over the rear wheel for better balance and stability over technical terrain.

The builds of each Grizl may differ slightly, so it’s worth checking the model you want, depending on the riding you want to do. For example, currently the Grizl CF SL 8 Trail comes with a dropper post as standard, whereas the rest of the range has the necessary ports on the frame to fit one.

The Grizl Trail models also offer a suspension fork: the Rockshox Rudy, which provides 30mm of travel and making for a super smooth ride.

You’ve heard what we’ve had to say about the bikes, but what about the cycling press? Read a few review highlights:

Grail

“The new handlebar-stem combination is impressive: the cockpit flexes noticeably on the lower handlebars, and the attachment options for luggage or mudguards are unusual in the race category - but certainly practical [Best of Test 2023].”

- TOUR magazin

“I've secured more cups and crowns on the local gravel sections than on any other bike. Its performance at the World Champs and several other international gravel races is a testament to the speed it carries and I think it's a bike that can elevate any gravel hobbyist's ride [Gear of the Year 2023].”

- off-road.cc

Grizl

“A properly beautiful bike to behold… Delightfully light and highly responsive… An absolute joy to ride, very capable on any type of terrain, easy to maintain, highly versatile and ideal for day sessions or multiday bikepacking adventures, the Grizl CF SL 8 1by looks about as close to the perfect gravel bike for me as I can imagine. Five stars.”

- T3.com

“An excellent gravel all-rounder… high level of comfort and balanced handling make it ideal for a wide range of use cases… offers significantly more adventure and off-road capability, including greater tire clearance, more mounting options (with the rigid fork), dropper post compatibility, and a less racy look and geometry.”

- Gran Fondo magazine

To sum up, we consider both bikes as great options for gravel cyclists, but the key differences to help you decide can be considered as follows:

Get the Grail if you need...

• A truly lightweight setup
• A bike to bridge the gap between tarmac and trail
• A bike for high performance, year-round riding and racing in all conditions

Get the Grizl if you need...

• A do-all adventure machine that carries a lot of kit
• A bike to take you on off-grid adventures for days at a time
• A bike that can really handle rough gravel tracks